The Gonzaga men's basketball team returns a quartet of big-name upperclassmen in Drew Timme, Rasir Bolton, Anton Watson and Julian Strawther, but it's a stable of sophomores who could push the Bulldogs to that elusive national championship.
"Those sophomores are going to have to have huge jumps. I mean, I would think that will kind of be the key to our season is how successful those guys can be," says Assistant Coach Brian Michaelson. "They did a nice job understanding those roles that they had on last year's team, and I think they understand that their roles are significantly different this year. Now they have to carry a big part of the load, and that's something that they all want and that they're eagerly looking for."
Nine of the 16 players on Gonzaga's roster are sophomores. Of those nine, five have already played meaningful minutes in a Gonzaga uniform.
Washingtonians Kaden Perry and Nolan Hickman, along with five-star recruit Hunter Sallis, joined the team as true freshmen last season, and all got minutes in reserve roles. Ben Gregg has already spent two seasons in the program, having graduated from high school early to get a jump start on his college career, but is still listed as a sophomore this year thanks to the COVID-plagued 2020 season not counting against players' eligibility. Dominick Harris played in 25 games as a freshman two years ago before missing all of last season with a foot injury and taking a medical redshirt.
Of that group, the player tasked with the most critical role is Hickman, who is replacing Andrew Nembhard as the starting point guard. Nembhard was a steady hand who orchestrated Gonzaga's attack, ranking top-two nationally in offensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions) in both his seasons in Spokane.
"People are underestimating the loss of Andrew. I think he was such a quiet guy that he never got the recognition that he deserved. He was incredibly vital to our program these last two years. I don't think that that's something you replace with one person. So it is going to be slightly more by committee than last year was," Michaelson says. "With that being said, Nolan is clearly our point guard, and clearly he will have the biggest ownership role in that."
Hunter Sallis will also be part of that point guard committee supporting Hickman. The 6-foot-5 wing averaged 4.3 points in 13.6 minutes per game a season ago. A high-level athlete, Sallis is much more of a scorer than a facilitator, but he is more than capable of taking some pressure off of the team's primary ball handlers. On the other end of the court, expect to see him ratchet up the pressure on opponents.
"A sophomore that's going to play a ton is obviously Hunter," says Michaelson. "He's really, really improved his ball handling and his shooting. He's had a really good fall scoring the ball, but Hunter's defense is gonna be super impactful for this team."
While those two work out on the perimeter, the Zags will also have a handful of sophomores banging around in the paint. Ben Gregg and Kaden Perry, both from the greater Portland area, were just outside the primary rotation last season, averaging between six and seven minutes per game. With star big man Chet Holmgren off to the NBA and out of the Zags' picture, there should be more room in the frontcourt for Gregg and Perry to carve out roles.
At 6-foot-10 with a nice shooting touch, Gregg gives the Zags versatility as a floor spacer in a way the other bigs on the roster don't provide. The 6-foot-9 Perry, on the other hand, is a powerful and athletic player who has drawn comparisons to former Zag Brandon Clarke for his abilities around and above the rim. The question with Perry is his health, as he's recovering from a back injury that sidelined him for the second half of last season.
Another sophomore question mark comes in the form of sweet-shooting guard Dominick Harris. Part of the so-called "tricky trio" recruiting class of 2020 with Jalen Suggs and Julian Strawther, Harris missed last season with a foot injury and still wasn't cleared for full contact play until early October. During his freshman campaign, he flashed that he could be a catalyst for the Zags both defensively and from behind the arc.
"Those are two things in today's modern basketball you might argue the two most important things, 3-point shooting and on-ball defense," says Michaelson. "And he can bring those at the highest level, especially when he's healthy."
The Zags are a team loaded with stars, but to reach their ultimate goal they'll need some of their sophomores to step up and shine as well. ♦
